Motion picture projector apparatus

ABSTRACT

Motion picture projector apparatus includes a hook-like member that is adapted to be moved into close proximity to a rotating roll of film or the like for engaging the film through an opening in a leading end portion of the film. The hook member then delivers the leading end portion of the film to self threading apparatus of the projector, and the hook is automatically disengaged from the film. The self threading apparatus comprises a pair of puck drive members which receive the film from the hook and drive it through a film guide toward a film gate at a rate that exceeds the rate film is advanced through the gate. The puck drive members are disengaged in response to the accumulation of film in the film guide. During rewind of film through the gate the puck drive members are disengaged to permit film to pass therebetween. The projector apparatus disclosed provides for review or manual rewind of film.

United States Patent [1 1 Martin et al.

[ MOTION PICTURE PROJECTOR APPARATUS [75] Inventors: William A. Martin;John Q. St.

Clair, both of Rochester, NY.

[73] Assignee: Eastman Kodak Company,

Rochester, NY.

[22] Filed: Jan. 22, 1973 [21] Appl. No.: 325,288

Related US. Application Data [62] Division of Ser. No. 77,959, Oct. 5,1970.

[52] US. Cl. 352/124, 352/166 [51] Int. Cl. G03b 23/00 [58] Field ofSearch 352/124, 125, 166, 221, 2 I a 352/2% t 9 ..17 [5 6] ReferencesCited .UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,210,955 1/1917 Langheck ..352/1241,315,355 9/1919 Wenderhold ..352/166 2,009,442 7/1935 Foster ..352/1243,240,550 3/1966 Mitchel ..352/124 Sept. 24, 1974 57 WJABSTRACT Motionpicture projector apparatus includes a hooklike member that is adaptedto be moved into close proximity to a rotating roll of film or the likefor engaging the film through an opening in a leading end portion of thefilm. The hook member then delivers the leading end portion of the filmto self threading apparatus of the projector, and the hook isautomatically disengaged from the film. The self threading apparatuscomprises a pair of puck drive members which receive the film from thehook and drive it through a film guide toward a film gate at a rate thatexceeds the rate film is advanced through the gate. The puck drivemembers are disengaged in response to the accumulation of film in thefilm guide. During rewind of film through the gate the puck drivemembers are disengaged to permit film to pass therebetween. Theprojector apparatus disclosed provides for review or manual rewind offilm.

5 Claims, 14 Drawing Figures P IEN EBSEM v 3.837.737. snwws MOTIONPICTURE PROJECTOR APPARATUS This application is a division ofapplication Ser. No. 77,959, filed Oct. 5, 1970.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION Reference is made to the commonlyassigned co pending US. patent application Ser. No. 875,819, entitledAUTOMATIC FILM THREADING DEVICE, filed Nov. 12, 1969 in the names ofGerhard Brauning and Wolfgang Ort now US. Pat. No. 3,628,751, issuedDec. 21, 1972.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of Invention This invention relatesto motion picture projector apparatus and, or specifically, to apparatusfor automatically feeding film from a roll of film to self threadingapparatus of the projector, and to other projector apparatus foreffecting rewind of film onto the supply roll.

2. Description of the Prior Art The commonly assigned US. Pat. No.3,429,518, issued Feb. 25, 1969 in the name of E. S. McKee and entitledDEVICE FOR STRIPPING AND FEEDING STRIP MATERIAL FROM A ROLL, discloses afilm feeding mechanism comprising an endless belt and a stripping fingerthat are selectively movable into a cartridge or the like for engaging afilm roll within the cartridge. The belt drives the film roll in anunwinding direction and the finger separates the leading end of the filmfrom the roll. The film is then guided by the belt and finger into afilm gate and the film feeding mechanism disclosed is retracted from thecartridge. Various modifications to the film feeding mechanism disclosedin the McKee patent have been described in various commonly assignedpatents and patent applications. The commonly assigned US Pat. No.3,468,498 issued on Sept. 23, 1969 in the name of L. I. Bunting entitledSUPPLY ROLL SPINDLE ASSEMBLY FOR CINE- MATOGRAPI-IIC PROJECTORS, and thecopending US. Pat. application Ser. No. 685,616 now US. Pat.

' No. 3,552,683 entitled CINEMATOGRAPI-IIC PRO- JECTORS OR THE LIKE ANDCARTRIDGES FOR USE TI-IEREWITI-I, filed in the names of J. J. Bundschuhet al., discloses one such improvement in such a film feeding mechanism,and also discloses various projector mechanisms for effecting rewind,for efiecting review of certain portions of the film, and other relatedprojector mechanisms. While the apparatus disclosed in thebeforementioned patents and patent applications have proved successful,they tend to be somewhat complex mechanically due to the need tocoordinate operation of the drive belt and the stripping finger.

In the beforementioned copending patent application Ser. No. 875,819,film feeding is achieved by use of a driven sprocket that is" engageablewith openings in a film strip (such as the usual sprocket holes orperforation normally provided in motion picture film) for driving filmfrom a supply roll to self threading apparatus of a projector. Theopenings in the film strip are brought into engagement with the sprocketby rotating the film supply roll in a take-up direction, thereby causingthe free, leading end portion of the film roll to be swung in a circularpath so that it can contact the sprocket which is positioned in suchpath and aligned with the opening in the film.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the invention is to provide animproved mechanism for feeding film from a supply roll of film toward afilm gate by means including puck drive members, and for rewinding offilm through the gate and between the puck drive members.

In accordance with the present invention projector apparatus is providedfor effecting forward projection of film from a supply roll through agate and rewind of film through the gate onto the supply roll. Theapparatus comprises means defining a film guide between the supply rolland the gate. A pair of puck drive members are positioned with respectto the film guide for driving film from the supply roll into the guideat a rate that exceeds the rate film is moved through the gate. Meansresponsive to the accumulation of film in the guide between thepuckdrive members and the gate disengages the puck drive members. Means areprovided for initiating rewind of film through the gate to the supplyroll comprising a first member movable from a first position to a secondposition to drive the film roll in a take-up direction. Means coupled tosaid first member disengages the puck drive members, thereby allowingmovement of film from the gate through the guide and past the puck'drive members. l

The projector apparatus of the invention also includes means forautomatically threading film or other web material through a projectorapparatus or the like after the film has been received from the filmfeeding mechanism of this invention. The projector apparatus includes aweb drive member for pulling the web from the roll and furnishing ittoward a projection gate, a sound head or the like, and then toautomatically disengage the web feeding device in response to anaccumulation of web material between the web feeding device and thegate. During review or rewind operations, the web feeding mechanism isdisengaged so that film (or other webg' material) can be rapidly rewoundthrough the gate to the supply roll. I

The invention, and its objects and advantages, will become more apparentin the detailed description of the preferred embodiments presentedbelow.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF-TI-IE DRAWINGS In the detailed description of thepreferred embodiments of the invention presented below, reference ismade to the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a fragmentary plan view illustrating a preferred-specificembodiment of motion picture projector apparatus of the invention withthe film feeding mechanism extended for engaging film on a film supplyreel, and showing in phantom the supply spindle moved to accommodate asmaller film reel;

FIG. 2 is a fragmentary perspective view showing the film feedingmechanism of the invention positioned in spaced relation to a roll ofweb material;

FIG. 3 is a view similar to FIG. 2 showing the position of the filmfeeding mechanism at the time it becomes engaged with the film; I

FIG. 4 is another fragmentary perspective view of the film feedingmechanism of this invention but taken from a different direction andshowing the film feeding mechanism immediatelyv after it has engaged thefilm and begun feeding film from the roll;

FIG. 5 is a fragmentary plan view of part of the apparatus illustratedin FIG. 1 but showing the position of I the film feeding mechanismduring projection of film and showing film threaded through theprojector;

FIG. 6 is a fragmentary plan view illustrating automatic disengagementof portions of the film drive in response to accumulation of a length offilm between the film drive and the gate;

FIG. 7 is a fragmentary plan view showing certain of the projector partsduring automatic rewind of film through the projector;

FIG. 8 is a view similar to FIG. 7 showing the manner in which the partsare returned to their normal position following automatic rewind offilm;

FIGS. 9 and 10 are fragmentary plan views illustrating apparatus formanually initiating review or rewind of film through the projector, andfor initiating forward projection of film without operating the filmfeeding mechanism;

FIG. 11 is a view taken along line 1lll in FIG. 14 illustrating amodification of the film feeding mechanism of this invention;

FIGS. 12 and 13 are views similar to FIG. 11 showing different positionsof the film feeding mechanism of the invention; and

FIG. 14 is a view, partially in cross section, illustrating apparatusfor controlling operation of the film feeding mechanisms disclosed inFIGS. 11-13.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Because photographic apparatusare well known, the present description will be directed in particularto elements forming part of, or cooperating more directly with, the.present invention, apparatus not specifically shown or described hereinbeing understood to be selectable from those known in the art.

GENERAL DESCRIPTION The projector of the invention comprises a filmsupply spindle 20 which is adapted to receive a film reel 22 containinga supply roll 24 of film F. Reel 22 may be furnished to the projector ina cartridge (not shown). For example, the cartridge may be of the typedisclosed in US. patent applications Ser. No. 731,524 entitled CARTRIDGEand Ser. No. 73l,562 entitled CAR- TRIDGE AND MEANS FOR LOCATING A CAR-TRIDGE ON A PROJECTOR OR THE LIKE both of which were filed on May 23,1968 in the name of John J. Bundschuh. Spindle 20 projects through amechanism plate 26. The spindle can be driven in a take-up directionthrough a suitable tendency drive (not shown), and it may be positivelydriven at high speed to facilitate rewinding of film onto the film reel.Spindle drives for achieving such functions are well known in the art.Also, the spindle may be movable to each of a plurality of positions,two of which are shown in FIG. I, so that the projector can receive bothlarge and small size reels in corresponding sized film cartridges.Movement of such a spindle for accommodation of various sizes of filmrolls and cartridges is disclosed in US. patent application Ser. No.777,281, entitled CAR- TRIDGE LOADED PROJECTOR OR THE LIKE, filed Nov.20, 1968 in the name of Robert J. Roman.

A film feeding mechanism of this invention includes a finger member 30having a hook 32 on an end portion thereof that is movable into anextended position (FIGS. 1 and 3) wherein it is in close proximity to orengagement with the outer convolution of each of several sizes of filmrolls that may be positioned on spindle 20. Film F has a free, leadingend portion 34 that is rotated in a generally circular path in a planejust above plate 26 by driving spindle 20 in a film take-up direction.When the hook is in its extended position, it occupies the same plane asthe film end portion 34 during rotation of the film roll so that anelongate slot 36 in film end portion 34 registers with hook 32 onceduring each revolution of the film roll, thereby to engage the hook withthe film. The hook is then driven to the position shown in FIG. 5 todeliver the film F to self threading portions of the projector,including a film drive generally designated 38. Drive 38 includes adriven roller or puck 40 and a pressure roller or puck 42 that jointlydefine a nip 44 into which the film is delivered by the film feedingmechanism. Drive 38 delivers the film through a film guide channel 46 toa projection gate 48. The film is then fed by a claw 50 or by othersuitable film feeding mechanisms (such as a sprocket or the like) to afilm take-up generally designated 52.

FILM FEEDING MECHANISM The finger member 30 has a base portion 60 thatis pivotally mounted on a sector-shaped lever 62 by a pivot pin 64. Atension spring 66 is connected to a pinshaped cam follower 68 dependingfrom base portion 60 and to a spring mounting member 70 on lever 62 tobias the finger 30 about pin 64 in a counterclockwise direction asviewed in FIGS. 1 and 2. The bias of spring 66 urgesthe hook portion 32toward film roll 24 for bringing the hook portion into close proximitywith the outer periphery of the film roll. This mounting of the fingermember allows it to remain in contact with the film roll after the hookcontacts the film roll if the lever 62 continues to move toward the filmroll.

Lever 62 is mounted for movement about a pivot 74 carried by mechanismplate 26, and it is urged in a clockwise direction as viewed in FIGS. 2and 3 by a spring diagrammatically shown at 76 that reacts from themechanism plate against the lever. Lever 62 is mounted in a plane justbelow the plate 26 and just below the plane occupied by the film reel 22so that the lever is movable to the FIG. 3 position wherein it is justbelow the reel 22. This places the hook portion 32 of the film feedingmechanism in the same plane as the film roll and moves the hook portioninto a position adjacent to or in contact with the film roll so that itcan engage the film through the slot 36 in end portion 34.

Lever 62 has a generally L-shaped cam slot 78 comprising opposedelongate side edges 78a and 78b and an offset end portion 78c. The camslot 78 is located in the end portion of the lever opposite from pivot74. A cam follower shown in the form of a pin 80 projects upwardly intothe cam slot 78 and cooperates with various portions of the slot formoving the lever between the two positions illustrated in FIGS. 2 and 3and for latching the film feeding mechanism in the position shown inFIG. 3. Pin 80 is carried by a reset arm 82 that is rigidly secured to ashaft 84 for rotation with the shaft about its mounting on a mechanismplate 86. Shaft 84 and arm 82 are moved in a clockwise direction bymeans of a handle 88 that also is rigidly secured to the shaft 84. Thearm and shaft are urged in the opposite (counterclockwise) direction bya spring 90 that has its central portion coiled about shaft 84 and hasend portions 90a and 90b connected to plate 86 and to the reset arm 82,respectively, as best illustrated in FIG. 4. Because shaft 84 isadjacent the end of lever 62 that is remote from pivot 74, clockwiserotation of handle 88 or arm 82 produces counterclockwise movement ofthe lever 62, and vice versa.

During the film feeding operation the spindle is driven in a directionfor taking up film onto the film reel through a tendency or frictiondrive, thereby tending to cause the end portion 34 of the film to flyoutwardly from the periphery of the roll 24. Prior to initiation of filmfeeding operations, the film feeding mechanism of the invention ispositioned as shown in FIG. 2 with the hook portion 32 of finger 30outside the path of movement of the end portion 34 of the film. Handle88 is then swung in a clockwise direction as viewed in FIGS. l3, therebyto move the arm 82 from the position shown in FIG. 2 to the positionsshown in FIGS. 1

and 3. As this occurs, the cam follower pin 80 engages surface 78a ofthe cam slot78 to move the lever 62 toward the position shown in FIG. 3.As pin 80 reaches the end portion 780 of the cam slot the lever 62 movesback slightly in a clockwise direction under the biasing force of spring76 so that the pin engages the wall of the lever defining the endportion 7 8c of the cam slot. Then handle 88 can be released without thelever and arm returning to the FIG; 2 position due to the latchingaction produced by the pin 80 engaging the cam portion 780 and the biasof springs 76 and 90 which act through lever 62 and arm 82 to hold thepin 80 against the left portion of the cam slot part 78c. At thistime'the load exerted by the spring 90 onto lever 62 will not exert anytorque onto the lever tending to rotate it. It will, of course, tend tomaintain the parts in the latched position.

As lever 62 is swung to the FIG. 3 position the finger member 30 ismoved with it to bring the hook 32 into the path of movement of the endportion 34 of the film so that the hook can enter the slot 36 during thenext or successive rotations of the film end portion past the hook.Experience indicates that this engagement occurs quite rapidly, normallyduring the first or first few passes of the film after the hook has beenmoved into its extended position. Engagement of the hook with the filmis cushioned to some extent by the spring 66 which allows some pivotalmovement of the hook portion by the friction drive or tendency driveapplied to the spindle 20. Also, spring 76 permits some additionalmovement of lever 62 and finger 30 in a counterclockwise direction inresponse to the force applied to the hook by the film. It is noted thatthe spring 66 allows some pivotal movement of the hook member about thepin 64 sothat the hook member normally can be brought into a positionwith respect to the spindle'so that it can engage the end portion of afilm roll having a minimum or maximum size for the particular positionof the spindle. In other words, by directing the hook toward the minimumsize film roll for a particular spindle position, and by providingspring 66, it is not disadvantageous if the hook portion actuallyengages the film since it can move under the light spring bias of spring66 outwardly in response to engagement with the periphery of larger sizerolls. I

When hook 32 engages the film the driving force applied to the film rollthrough spindle 20 drives the finger 30, and thus the lever 62 to whichit is attached, about the axis of pivot 74 by a distance sufficient tomove the pin 80 out of the end portion 780 of the cam slot 78 to theposition shown in FIG. 4, thereby unlatching the film feeding mechanism.When this occurs, the force exerted by the spring'90 onto the arm 82drives the arm counterclockwise about the axis of shaft 84 to bring thecam follower 80 into engagement with the surface 78b of the cam slot.Springs 90 and 76 then exert a driving force onto the lever 62 to returnthe lever to the position shown in FIGS. 2 and 5. As this occurs thefinger 30 attached to the lever is also moved to feed the end portion 34of the film to the nip 44 of the film drive 38.

The hook and thus the film are guided during movement of the fingermember from adjacent the film roll to nip 44 by a guide slot or cam 96formed in a mechanism plate 98 that is positioned above the lever 62 andjust below the film drive pucks 40 and 42. Cam slot 96 is generallyarcuate in shape and it is somewhat wider than the cam follower 68 onthe base portion 60 of the finger member. The follower is urged towardside edge 96a of the cam 96 by spring 66. The shape of the cam slot 96and the plane occupied by the hook 32 with respect to the puck members40 and 42 is such that the leading end 34 'of the film is fed into thenip 44. Preferably, drive 38 engages the film along the perforated(upper) side edge of the film so that the drive 38 does not scratch orotherwisedamage the picture area of the film. Cam slot 96 has a humpportion 96b that causes the hook 32 to swing downwardly and to the right(as viewed in FIG. 1) immediately after the film is engaged by the drive38 thereby to urge the hook out of the film path and out of the slot 36in the film. Thus the hook is swung to the position shown in FIGS. 2 and5 as the film is advanced by drive 38.

If desired, lever 62 can be driven from arm 82 by providing edges 97 and99 (FIG. 4) that are shaped and positioned with respect to each other sothat edge 99 engages edge 97'to drive lever 62 as arm 82 is swung fromone position to another. This drive can be used in lieu of or inaddition to the drive effected by cam follower and camslot 78. r i

PROJECTOR SELF THREADING MECHANISM Puck drive member 40 is rotatablymounted on shaft 84 for rotation with respect to the shaft, and the puckis driven by a drive belt 100 part of which is shown trained around apulley 102 coupled to the puck. The drive belt is coupled to a powersource (not shown) to constantly drive the puck 40 whenever theprojector is operating. Puck 40 is positioned just above the mechanismplate 98 and is in the same plane as the pressure puck or roller 42.Puck 42 is rotatably mounted on a pivot shaft 104 that is carried by oneend portion of a lever 106 comprising part of a film loop former. Lever106 ispivotally mounted on plate 98 by a pin 108 and is biased in acounterclockwise direction by a spring 107. Spring 107 urges puck 42toward puck 40 so that film received from the film-feeding mechanismnormally is driven by drive 38 through film guide 46 and toward gate 48as shown in FIG. '6. Pin 108 is offset from the shaft 104 and separatedfrom the shaft-84 by a distance that is greater than the distancebetween shaft 84 and pin 104. Pin 108 also is nearer the right end oflever 106 than shaft 104. Because of the geometrical relation betweenpin 108 and shafts 84 and 104, upward movement of the left end of thelever 106 (as viewed in FIG. 1) lifts puck 42 and thereby separates thepucks 40 and 42. When pucks 40 and 42 are separated in this manner asshown in FIG. 6, the drive 38 is no longer effective to advance filmtoward the gate, and film can be driven between the pucks toward reel22.

One side edge 106a of lever 106 defines one side of film guide 46 forfilm driven toward gate 48 by the drive 38. The other side of the filmguide 46 is defined 112a part) by a stationary guide member 110projecting upwardly from plate 98 and (in part) by a side edge 112a of arewind lever member 112 that is pivoted at 114 to the plate 98. Puck 40is driven fast enough so that drive 38 tends to move film into the filmguide 46 at a rate that exceeds the maximum rate it can be removed fromthe guide by operation of the claw 50 (or other drive means) at thegate. As film accumulates in the guide 46, it forces the lever 106 in aclockwise direction about its mounting 108 and against the bias ofspring 107 to separate the puck members 40 and 42 as shown-in FIG. 6 andthereby terminate driving the film toward the gate. As will be apparentfrom the foregoing description, puck 42 is moved toward and away frompuck 40 to engage and disengage drive 38 in response to thedemand forfilm at gate 48, and lever 106 functions as a means for sensing thedemand for film at the gate. Thus drive 38 and the associated membersare self regulating and serve to form just ahead of the gate duringnormal forward projection a loop of relatively low tension film. Thispermits advancing of film through the gate with a minimum of force beingapplied by the claw or other film drive mechanism at the gate, therebyminimizing wearing and possible tearing of the film. This isparticularly advantageous when reel 22 contains a long length of film,i.e., 400 feet of film. If desired, a self regulating drive similar tothat shown at 38 also can be provided at the other side of the gate forminimizing the load on the film at the gate during reverse projection.

FILM TAKE-UP Referring to FIGS. 1 and 10, the film take-up mechanismgenerally designated 52 includes a take-up cup 116 that normally rotatesfreely on a spindle 118. The cup has a circular rim 120 extendingupwardly around the periphery of a bottom plate 121. Film from gate 48is guided onto the bottom plate 121 of the cup and inside the rimthrough an arm 122 that has a film guide channel therethrough. The armis pivoted at 126 to plate 98 and has a wide, open throat 124 throughwhich film from the gate is guided into the arm. The initial convolutionof film is directed to the outside of the cup adjacent the rim 120 and,as shown in FIG. 10, subsequent convolutions are directed inside thepreceding convolution by a guide pin 127, thereby filling the cup fromthe outside toward the center. The cup is rotated by forces exerted ontothe cup by delivery of film into the cup. The cup may be completely orpartially covered to prevent loss of film from the cup through the topthereof.

While the cup is normally freely rotatable as previously indicated, itmay be desirable to brake rotation of the cup during certain operations,eg. to stop rotation of the cup in a clockwise direction after rewindingof all of the projected film or part of the film (such as occurs duringthe so-called review operation described in more detail later). Thebraking mechanism illustrated comprises a lever 130 that is pivoted at132 to the mechanism plate 98. A spring 134 biases the lever in acounterclockwise direction to urge a flange 136 on the lever towardengagement with the outer periphery of the rim of the cup. Flange 136projects down through an opening 137 in plate 98. Flange 136 normally isheld in spaced relation to the rim of the cup by a brake operatingmember 138 that is rigidly connected to a shaft 140 on plate 98. Themember 138 is engageable with the outer end of lever 130 to preventmovement of the lever in the counterclockwise direction under theinfluence of spring 134.

AUTOMATIC REWIND Apparatus of the invention for initiating automaticrewind of film through the gate onto the supply spindle or reel is bestillustrated in FIG. 7 of the drawings. This apparatus is adapted to beoperated in response to sensing of an increase in film tension by theside edge 112a of lever 112 such as will occur, for example, at the endof the forward projection cycle of operation if the trailing end of thefilm is attached to the hub or core of reel 22. The film end can beattached to the reel in the manner disclosed in the commonly assignedUS. Pat. No. 3,491,965, entitled CARTRIDGE AND REEL ALIGNMENT MEANS,issued'on Jan. 27, 1970 in the name of Arthur H. Crapsey, or in anyother suitable manner.

As described more fully later, rewind is initiated when lever 112 pivotscounterclockwise about the axis of shaft 114 to the position shown inFIG. 7. The extent of this pivotal movement is limited by a pin 144 thatprojects from the end of lever 112 nearest the gate into a slot 146 inprojector plate 98. As pin 144 reaches the lower end of slot 146, thelever 112 closes a switch 148 by bringing a movable contact member 148ainto engagement with a stationary contact member 148b. Switch 148 isfunctionally connected in a manner not shown to spindle 20 to cause thespindle to be driven in a take-up direction, either through a tendencydrive or, preferably, by a direct drive to effect high speed rewind offilm onto the supply reel.

During rewind, it is desirable that the film path 46 be opened and thatthe film drive 38 be disengaged. This is accomplished by means of alever 150 positioned beneath mechanism plate 98 and secured intermediateits ends to the shaft 114 for rotation with the shaft. The upper endportion of lever 150 is positioned between a stud 152 that projects fromlever 106 through a slot 153 in the projector plate98 and a stud 154fixed to the lower surface of plate 98. Thus as lever 112 is moved tothe FIG. 7 position the upper end of lever 150 engages the'pin 152 andmoves lever 106 clockwise about its'pivot 108, thereby opening the filmpath 46 and simultaneously disengaging the drive 38 by moving the puck42 away from puck 40.

The other end portion of lever 150 at the other side of shaft 1 14 has anotch 156 that defines part of a latch mechanism for holding the rewindapparatus in the engaged position until all the film is fully rewoundback onto the reel or until the automatic rewind mechanism is manuallydisengaged in the manner explained later. The latch member 156 isadapted to engage a complementary notch or latch portion 158 on one endof a latch and reset member 160. Member 160 is pivoted at 162 to theback side of mechanism plate 98 and is normally biased by a spring 164in a clockwise direction for urging latch portion 158 towards latchmember 156. However, as shown in FIG. 8, the latch portions 156 and 158are normally offset from each other so that they cannot be engaged, andit is the movement of lever 150 in response to film tension acting onlever 112 that brings the latch member 156 to the right from the FIG. 8position to its FIG. 7 position so that the latch member 158 can swingupwardly under the biasing force of spring 164 to engage the latch andthereby hold the automatic rewind apparatus in engagement.

If desired, a switch (not shown) may be provided between drive 38 andthe take-up reel for sensing the presence of film between the drive .andthe take-up reel. This switch can be coupled to the projector motor (notshown) for shutting off the motor when the switch senses the absence offilm. Thus the projector can automatically be turned off at the end ofthe rewind cycle. This switch would also be useful in the event the userof the projector failed to attach the trailing end of the film to thesupply reel. Thus as the trailing end of the film entered the drive 38the projector motor would be shut off, thereby preventing the entirefilm strip from being wound onto the take-up mechanism.

The latch member 156 and 158 are automatically disengaged during thenext threading cycle by a reset stud 168 that is mounted on reset arm 82and rotatable with shaft 84 and handle 88 as the handle is moved fromthe FIG. 7 to the FIG. 8 position. Stud 168 is positioned with respectto an end portion 160a of the lever 160 so that it engages the endportion 160a and causes movement of the lever in a counterclockwisedirection as handle 88 is swung to the FIG. 8 position, thereby movingthe latch portion 158 away from the latch portion 156. (Lever end 160aand the opposite end of the lever are in different planes to performtheir respective functions). Spring 107 then drives the lever 106 towardguide member 110 and lever 112 to narrow the film channel 46 and bringdrive puck 42 into engagement with puck 40. As this occurs, the endportion of member 150 is driven clockwise by engagement of member 150with the pin 152 and this, in turn, partially rotates shaft 114 toreturn the lever 112 to its FIG. 8 position from its FIG. 7 position.Movement of lever 150 and lever 106 is limited by the pin 144 engagingthe upper end of slot 146. If desired, a spring 169 can be provided forbiasing lever 112 to its normal (FIG. 8) position when lever 106 ismoved away from lever 112 by the pressure of film as describedhereinbefore in connection with FIG. 6.

MANUAL REWIND OR REVIEW FIGS. 9 and 10 illustrate apparatus of theinvention for manually initiating rewind of projected film through thegate or for reviewing a particular film sequence by first rewinding aportion of film through the gate and then initiating forward projectionoperation of the projector. The apparatus shown in FIGS. 9 and 10comprises a rewind control member 180 that is positioned beneathmechanism plate 98 and is connected to shaft 140 for rotation with theshaft. Control member 180 can be manually moved between its operatingpositions shown in FIGS. 9 and 10 from its normal rest position (notshown) substantially midway therebetween by means of a handle 182 thatis secured to shaft 140 above plate 98. Control member 180, shaft 140,and handle 182 and flange 138 are all biased toward their normal or restposition by a spring 184 that is connected to a finger portion 186 ofthe control member and to a suitable stationary member, such as thebottom of plate 98.

Two fingers 188 and 190 project from opposite side of the control memberbetween the shaft and finger 186. The finger 188 is positioned so thatas the handle 182 is swung in a counterclockwise direction to theposition shown in FIG. 9, the finger 188 engages the downwardlyprojecting pin 144 on lever 112 to move the pin through slot 146 andthereby cause lever 112 to close switch contacts 148a and 148b to drivethe spindle 20 in a take-up direction. Simultaneously, the lever 150engages pin 152 on lever 106, thereby to open the film channel 46 anddisengage the puck drive members 40 and 42 in the manner described morefully hereinbefore. This action also engages latch members 156 and 158so that the projector will remain in the rewind mode of operation ifhandle 182 is released to allow control member to return to its normalposition.

When the control member 180 is swung in the opposite direction to itsFIG. 10 position, finger is brought into engagement with the outermostend of lever 160, thereby to disengage the rewind latch members 156 and158. This permits lever 106 to be swung back to the FIG. 10 positionunder the biasing force of spring 107 and, simultaneously, return thelever-150 to the FIG. 10 position where latch members 156 and 158 cannotre-engage until levers 112 and 150 are again manually returned to'theirFIG. 9 positions, or until rewind is initiated automatically in themanner previously described.

As is apparent from FIG. 9, during review or when rewind is initiatedmanually, the brake operating member 138 remains in contact .with thelever arm' 130 to hold the flange 136 spaced from the rim 120 of thetake-up cup 116. However when the handle 182 is swung to the positionshown in FIG. 10 to terminate rewinding of film onto the supply reel,member 138 moves away from lever 130 to permit spring 134 to bring theflange 136 into engagement with the rim 120 of the take-up cup, therebyto brake the cup. If the cup is not stopped promptly, there will be atendency for the rotation of the cup to push film through the arm 122toward the gate at the same time the drive 38 begins pushing film in theopposite direction. As soon as handle 182 is released from its FIG. 10position, spring 184 returns the control member 180 to itsnormalposition approximately midway between the FIG. 9 position and FIG.10 position, thereby bringing member 138 into engagement with the lever130 to return the flange 136 to the positions shown in FIG. 1 whereinthe flange is spaced from the take-up cup to allow substantially freerotation thereof.

FIGS.-1l-14 depict an embodiment of the film feeding mechanism of theinvention wherein lever 62 is power driven in one direction, i.e.', inthe direction for pulling film from the supply reel toward the filmdrive 38. In FIGS. 11-14 the same reference numerals have been used todesignate the same or similar parts dewise direction by movement ofhandle 88 to move the hook 32 into close proximity with the roll of filmon the supply reel, the cam follower pin 80 engages surface 200a of thecam slot until the pin is adjacent the area 2000 of the cam slot. Thenthe edge 200d earns the pin into portion 200C of the slot and near theright end thereof as viewed in FIGS. 11 and 12. Upon release of thehandle 88 a spring 90 moves the reset arm 82 in a counterclockwisedirection to bring the pin into engagement with the notch or corner atthe left end of the cam slot portion 2000 as illustrated in FIG. 11. Thelever 62 remains cocked in this position with the hook 32 in engagementwith the film roll or closely adjacent thereto.

When the film is engaged with hook 32, the force applied to the hook bythe film moves the hook and thus the lever 62 upwardly and to the rightas viewed in FIGS. 11 and 12 to bring the pin 80 into engagement withthe tapered edge 200d of the cam slot as shown in FIG. 12. Pin 80 isthen free to travel along groove portions 200d and 200b to its restposition (FIG. 13) wherein it is located in the end portion of thegroove opposite from portion 200c.

In this embodiment the lever 62 and thus the hook portion 32 are drivenfrom the FIG. 11 position toward the FIG. 13 position by a lever drivepuck or roller 202 supported at one end of a lever 204 that is rotatableabout shaft 84. Lever 204 is biased in a counterclockwise direction by aspring diagrammatically shown at 206, and movement of the lever in thisdirection is limited by a stop 208 on mechanism plate 86. This mountingallows the lever 204 and drive roller 202 to move counterclockwise underthe bias of spring 206 to bring the roller into engagement with lever62. Drive roller 202 is connected to a pulley 210 that is driven by abelt 212. Belt 212 is trained around pulley 210 and a pulley portion 214that is integral with (or at least coupled to) pulley 102. Thus driveroller 202 normally is driven continuously in the direction shown inFIGS. ll13.

When the parts are in the position shown in FIG. 11, the drive roller202 is held out of engagement with the side edge 62a of lever 62 by apin 220 on reset arm 82 that engages one end portion of lever 204adjacent to roller 202. However, when the arm 82 moves toward its FIG.13 position, the drive roller 202 is moved by spring 206 into engagementwith edge 62a of lever 62. The drive roller then drives the lever 62 ina clockwise direction, thereby to pull the hook portion toward drive 38in a controlled manner and at a substantially constant speed, therebyreducing the possibility of tearing the film in the area of the slot 36.As lever 62 reaches its most clockwise position (FIG. 13) the driveroller 202 becomes disengaged from the lever edge 62a due to the rollerrunning off of the end of the edge 62a of the lever. Drive roller 202continues to rotate during operation of the projector but no longerengages the lever 62 due to the operation of springs 76 and 90 whichhold the lever 62 in the position shown in FIG. 13 until the next filmfeeding cycle of operation begins. As the next film feeding cyclebegins, the lever 62 may be moved from the FIG. 13 to the FIG. 11position even though surface 62a may contact drive roller 202 since theroller is free to move away from that drive surface against the bias ofspring 206.

While drive roller 202 has been described as a means for driving thefilm feeding mechanism away from the film reel, it will be understoodthat it, or a separate drive roller, can also be used for driving lever62 in the opposite direction i.e., for moving the hook 32 toward thefilm cartridge and supply reel. The same drive roller can be used forperforming both functions by selectively moving it into engagement withone of two drive surfaces on opposite side edges of a slot in lever 62in response to operating a switch to selectively energize or de-energizea solenoid for moving the drive roller between its two drivingpositions. Similarly, other manually operated functions of the apparatusdescribed herein can be power driven if desired.

The invention has been described in detail with particular reference topreferred embodiments thereof, but it will be understood thatvariationsand modifications can be effected within the spirit and scope of theinvention.

We claim:

1. Projector apparatus for effecting forward projection of film from asupply roll through a gate and rewind of film through the gate onto thesupply roll, the apparatus comprising:

means defining a film guide between the supply roll and the gate;

a pair of puck drive members positioned with respect to the film guidefor driving film from the supply roll into the guide at a rate thatexceeds the rate film is moved through the gate;

means responsive to the accumulation of film in the guide between thepuck drive members and the gate for disengaging the puck drive members;and

means for initiating rewind of film through the gate to the supply rollcomprising a first member movable from a first position to a secondposition to drive the film roll in a take-up direction; and meanscoupled to said first member for disengaging said puck drive membersthereby to allow movement of film from the gate through the guide andpast the puck drive members.

2. Projector apparatus as set forth in claim 1 wherein said membercomprises a lever having an edge portion thereof defining part of saidfilm guide, said lever being positioned with-respect to said gate sothat advance of film through the gate without corresponding movement offilm into the film guide from the supply roll causes the lever to moveto its second position for initiating rewind of film automatically inresponse to film tension conditions as sensed by said lever.

3. Projector apparatus as set forth in claim 1 further comprising arewind control member movable between a first and a second position andoperable during movement to its second position for moving said firstmember to its second position, thereby to initiate rewind of film ontothe supply roll, and a handle coupled to said control member formanually effecting movement of said control member between its firstposition and its second position.

4. Projector apparatus as set forth in claim 3 further comprising latchmeans coupled to said first member for holding first member in itssecond position, and said control member being movable to a thirdposition for disengaging said latch means to permit return of said firstmember to its first position.

5. Projector apparatus as set forth in claim 1 further comprising meansfor latching said first member in its second position for continuingrewinding of film onto the supply roll, and the projector apparatusfurther comprising a film feeding mechanism for feeding a so that thelatch means are automatically disengaged leading end of the film fromthe supply roll to the puck upon initiation of operation of the filmfeeding mechadrive members, and means functionally interconnect nism.

ing said film feeding mechanism and said latch means

1. Projector apparatus for effecting forward projection of film from asupply roll through a gate and rewind of film through the gate onto thesupply roll, the apparatus comprising: means defining a film guidebetween the supply roll and the gate; a pair of puck drive memberspositioned with respect to the film guide for driving film from thesupply roll into the guide at a rate that exceeds the rate film is movedthrough the gate; means responsive to the accumulation of film in theguide between the puck drive members and the gate for disengaging thepuck drive members; and means for initiating rewind of film through thegate to the supply roll comprising a first member movable from a firstposition to a second position to drive the film roll in a takeupdirection; and means coupled to said first member for disengaging saidpuck drive members thereby to allow movement of film from the gatethrough the guide and past the puck drive members.
 2. Projectorapparatus as set forth in claim 1 wherein said member comprises a leverhaving an edge portion thereof defining part of said film guide, saidlever being positioned with respect to said gate so that advance of filmthrough the gate without corresponding movement of film into the filmguide from the supply roll causes the lever to move to its secondposition for initiating rewind of film automatically in response to filmtension conditions as sensed by said lever.
 3. Projector apparatus asset forth in claim 1 further comprising a rewind control member movablebetween a first and a second position and operable during movement toits second position for moving said first member to its second position,thereby to initiate rewind of film onto the supply roll, and a handlecoupled to said control member for manually effecting movement of saidcontrol member between its first position and its second position. 4.Projector apparatus as set forth in claim 3 further comprising latchmeans coupled to said first member for holding first member in itssecond position, and said control member being movable to a thirdposition for disengaging said latch means to permit return of said firstmember to its first position.
 5. Projector apparatus as set forth inclaim 1 further comprising means for latching said first member in itssecond position for continuing rewinding of film onto the supply roll,and the projector apparatus further comprising a film feeding mechanismfor feeding a leading end of the film from the supply roll to the puckdrive members, and means functionally interconnecting said film feedingmechanism and said latch means so that the latch means are automaticallydisengaged upon initiation of operation of the film feeding mechanism.